SiliconBeat

My column this Sunday will ask that question. I’ve got a few ideas of my own. But I’d like to hear yours. Please post them below and I’ll use them in a future column.

In the meantime, there was a lot of focus this week on the candidates and Silicon Valley.

You may need an account to read it, but the Wall Street Journal on Thursday posted a piece on “Candidates Compete For Tech Sector’s Backing.” Reporter Amy Schatz writes:

“John McCain and Barack Obama aren’t waiting to be nominated to start a competition for votes and campaign cash from the technology industry. So far, despite Sen. McCain’s long history of involvement with technology issues, it is his Democratic rival who appears to be scoring more points.”

That sounds right. And the most recent edition of the Atlantic Monthly weighed in with a great piece looking at how Obama has harnessed the power of Silicon Valley to build his campaign, especially his fundraising machine. Reporter Joshua Green writes:

“But more than any policy, the idea of Obama and the world he speaks for seemed to excite something deep within the limbic system of the Valley brain that manifested itself through the early and continuing financial support that was crucial to launching Obama’s campaign. Getting behind Obama, especially for those who did so early, appealed to their self-image as discerning seers. Though she ultimately went with John Edwards, Nadine North captured this better than anyone: “Obama was the new, new thing, and that’s what we’re all about here.” “

And by the way, following on my post yesterday about the NetSquared gathering, there seemed to be a particular focus on government, accountability and money in the non-profits presenting this year. As you tune into the campaigns, here are three civic-minded start-ups worth checking out:

*AskYourLawmaker.org: A project run by Capital News Connection allows people to submit questions that reporters will ask politicians and then post the answers in the form of a podcast online.

*MAPLight.org: A mash-up that tries to connect campaign finance and the way lawmakers vote.

*OpenCongress: The site taps social media and crowdsourcing to help follow legislation.